Railway car



E. F. FITCH Aug. M, 1938.,

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ATTORNEYS.

2 center sills) are supplemented on their outer sides by longitudinal wooden beams 22 which are housed within the flanges of protecting longitudinal supplemental channels 2|. These parts aresecured together by through bolts 25, 2S, extending through the webs of the two channels and the intermediate wooden beam. As indicated'in Fig. 7, I prefer 'to provide an angle bar 21 resting on the top iianges 'of both channel beams 20 and 2i andextending down the cuter face oi the outer channel beam and welded at its edges to the channel beams. The construction described is very effective in resisting lateral stresses against `the side of the car, Without unduly increasing the weight ofthe car or its Width.

The side reinforcing may be readily applied to eldsting cars, the reinforcing beams 22 and the protecting channels 2i taking the place of the region ordinarily occupied by stake pockets. Accordingly, by removing the stake pockets and supplying the additional reinforce, I not only strengthen the side sills against lateral distor-y tion, but I'increase the eii'ective floor width of the car without increasing the over--alll dimension. I may utilize the original stake pocket holes in the car sills 20 for placing some of the bolts by which I secure the reinforcing side beam.

As car widths vary somewhat, the wooden filler beams 22 may be of variable widths according to the size of the car, with the result of bringing the entire width up to the standard desirable for carrying demountable bodies.

The normal side sill members 20 and the center sills ordinarily carry the flooring. This may be suitable planking extending from side to side of the car, as indicated at 30 in Fig. 6. Now, when I mount my cross-channels on the car, I omit or remove this planking at stated intervals and insert in place thereof the channel guides which are supported at their ends on-both longitudinal protecting channels 20 and 2| and intermediately on the door planking.

The skid-receiving channel is composed of an approximately V-shaped upper member 4U and a lower member 45. 'Fae upper. member has a iiat central zone 4i, then two outwardly inclined zones 42, and iinally horizontal top edge flanges 43. The member 45 is a flat plate contacting with the flat portion 4| of the channel and welded or otherwise secured thereto. In the spaces between the top flanges 43 and the plate 45 forming the bottom member I mount anglel bars 48. f

The cross-channel rests on the angle bar 21 of the side sills, as shown in Fig. 7, but may shift somewhat longitudinally of the car thereon. 'I'he channel isheld against lateral shifting by strap plates 35 secured to the floor Il) and bent downwardly at their ends at an angle at 36, Fig. '7, across the `correspondingly chamfered ends of the channel guide, the strap plates having finally vertical portions 31. engaging the vertical vwebs of the angle irons 21, and bolted to the entire side sill.

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As shown in Fig. y10, the floor `piani-ring 30 is protected by a transverse angle barj32 andsuitable bolts ll pass through the strap plates 35 and the planking 30 to hold these parts together. Between the vertical iianges of the angle bars 48 and the vertical flanges oi' the iloor planking pro. tectors 32, I place suitable yielding cushions, as,"

for instance, the rubber blocks. 5|! of Fig. 10.

It will be seen from the description given, that thechannel guides are nrmly retained on the car against movement crosswise or the car or up or down. but may move slightly in a horizontal plane lengthwise of the car as the rubber blocks 50 on one side or the other are compressed. This shock-absorbing feature reduces the jar on the container and contents in case of sudden starting or stopping of the car.

Fig. shows the yielding resistors for the guide channels as solid blocks of rubber 5i). It is to be understood, however, that other forms of yielding cushions may be employed, as desired. For instance, in Fig. 11, I have illustrated diagonal zig-zag 'rubber 5i; in Fig. l2 cellular rubber 5f?, and other forms of'blocks may be used.

As thetruck bridges D in iny system, which are 'to be temporarily attached to the car sides, cooperate directly with the car channels Ml as the body is being shifted from one vehicle to ythe other across the bridges, I find it .very efficient to attach the bridges directly to 'the ends of the channel guides. This is illustrated particularly in Figs. 6 to 9, and will now be described.

The vertical end portions 3l of the strap plates 35 have welded to them Vertical tubular members 38 adapted to receive hinge pins connected with ears on the attaching brackets 80. Such ears are shown at 6i extending above and below the stationary tubular member 38 and a pintle 53 extends through such aligned parts, so that the brackets are eiiectively hinged to the supplemental car side and thechannel retaining straps. The brackets 60, when not in use, lieiiat against the side of the car, as shown in Fig. 8,

and are there held by a suitable retaining device' carried by the car side. As shown, I have Welded a vertical tubular member 39 to the plate portion E'Imidway between the hinge members 38.'

the pin 10 carries the head 1| above the flanges 6.5, and releases the wings so that they may be swung out at right angles to the car, as shown in Fig. 9.

The attaching wings are shown as having horizontal slots 61 through them, these slots belng adapted to be occupied by cross-members on the ends of the bridges D. As indicated in' Figs. 1 and 3, these bridges carry transversely of their ends suitable tubes d adapted to occupy the slots 81. These tubes may contain rods with downturneduends di, Fig. 3, which may overhang'the brackets and-prevent separation of the parts. When the brackets are to be attached to the bridge-tubes d, the latter are positioned in substantial registration with the slots 81 and the brackets are manually swung inwardly so that the tube extensions pass into the slots while the rodv endsvdl are held projecting horizontally. Then, when the rod end is released, the same drops by gravity into the position shown in Fig. 3, holding the parts together.

The system of locking the bridge to the car by the slotted brackets ard cross-tubes on the -bridge Aand the bent bars occpying the tubes lis claimed in my prior application 32,131, referred to. The feature here claimed is the association of bridgeattaching brackets with the supplemental side 75- dit 'alzarsi sills of the car and the channel guide holding straps.

The attaching straps ss ci this invention preferably have the bracket ear members 38 secured to them inthe shop, and likewise the pin holder 39 secured in the shop to the flange of the angle iron 21. The members dt, it and 43 of the channel guide are also preferably secured together as aunit in the shop. It ls therefore only necessary in preparing the flat car having the usual side channel 2i) and flooring tt to remove the flooring at intervals; apply the protecting bars 32; bolt on the side beams 22 and protecting channels ti tally aligned and adapted to occupy the slots tl t ci the brackets when the latter are against the car side. The final operation of attaching the device to the oar may be the insertion of the bolts dit through the marginal portion of the .straps 35 in the car floor. l

It will be seen that my construction provides for simple and emcient shock-absorbing channel guides for the car; provides for the ready mounting of such guides on ordinary fiat cars; furnishes the desirablecharacteristic of enabling 'effective bracing of the car sides against lateral stresses,

ati, land the desirable characteristic of readily widendit itil

ing existing cars in the region ordinarily occupied by stake pockets, and finally the construction enables the direct anchorage of the truck bridge to parts in the immediate vicinity of the receiving channels to prevent any bending moments ,in such side structure. 1

I claim: y

1. The combination of a railway car having an interrupted floor, transverse body-receiving channels mounted between the iloor sections, and rubber bloclrsbetween the channels and the door sections. i

2. The combination of a railway car having transverse body-receiving channels and intermediate car flooring, said channels being formed with. recesses in their edges facing vthe flooring,

and rubber blocirs occupying such recesses and abutments on the other side of the blocks whereby they are adapted to term shock absorbers between the channels and car flooring. l

1i.. A railway car having side sills, wooden beams extending longitudinally on the outer sides ot the side sills and protecting channel beams on the outer sides ci the wooden beams, interrupted flooring carried bysaid side sills, transverse body-receiving guides restingon said channel beams, transverse hold-down plates overlanplng the des and iiooring, and rubber blocks between the guides and nooring.

t. The combination or a car having side sills, transverse body1receiving channels slidably sunported on the side sills and having longitudinally errtending top and bottom ilanges, hold-down straps extending crosswise oin the car overlapping the tcpdanges oi the channels to hold them against lateral or upward movement while allowing longitudinal movement, the ends of said straps being bent down and secured to the side sills, dooring carried by the car between adjacent body-receiving channels, and rubber blocks seated inthe recesses between'tlie channeliliiangs and adapted to bear againstl the adjacent-doorling to act as shock-absorbers to cushion the body from longitudinal jars delivered to'thecar and restore the body to nol position. n 5. A railway car having in combination 'side sills, interrupted flooring, transverse body-re;- ceiving channels occupying the space between floor sections and resting on the 'side sills, 'said channels having horizontal bottom plates and horizontal top flanges, the edge of the 'flooring soV adjacent the channels being protected'by 'translverse angle bars having-top flanges in the -sanie plane as the top flanges of the body-receiving channels, hold-down straps on the top hanged of the floor protecting angles and overlapping the top flanges of the body-receiving channels, and rubber blocks extending into the space be*- tween the bottom plate and top iiange oi' the body channel'and abutting the vertical llange of the floor protecting angle. t

6. In a railway car' the combination with side sills, or flooring sections interrupted at intervals', transverse body-receiving channels between ooring sections, each channel having a ho'rif zontal bottom plate, a top member comprising a horizontal central portion resting on and secured vto the bottom plate, then upwardly and outwardly inclined web portions and horizontal out'- ward :flanges at the top, and internal angle bars having horizontal flanges resting on and secured to the bottom .plate and upwardly extending flanges located some distance behind thek edges of the bottom'plate and top flange, and rubber blocks mounted between the bottom plate and top flange and having one vertical edge abutting the internal angle bar of the body-receiving channel and the other vertical edge' abutting the car floor. f

7. The combination ot a railway car having an interrupted floor,` transverse body-receiving channels'mounted between the floor sections, and rubber blocks between the channels and the iioor sections, said blocks having openings in them to increase their resilience.

t. The combination of a railway car having an interrupted door, transverse body-receiving channels mounted between the floor sections, rubber blocks between the channels and the floor sections, said blocks being zig-:tagged to substantially maintain contact between the body-receiving channels and the car door andstill allow considerable longitudinal movement oi the channels.

9. In a combination with the usual side sills of a railway flat car, reinforcing beams secured to the outer iac ot said side sills in the region ordinarily occupied by stake pockets, vwhereby the car is reinforced against lateral stresses dunv ing the moving of a demountable body laterally thereon or therefrom, transverse upwardly iacing channel members resting' on the side sills and reinforcing beams respectively, and strap plates l extending completely across" the cai' and lying above portions ci the channel members to hold' fthe latter against upward displacement, the

y riecl thereby and forming spaced. door sections between which body-guiding channel members may be disposed, the transverse edges of the dlt teeted by transverse angle bars, laterally extending body-Mdm! channel members disposed ,l

between the iioor sections having horizontal top g iianges in the same piane with the horizontal portions of the protecting angle bars, and strap plates extending completely across the car and lying shove .portions oi' the channel members and protecting angle bars respectively to hold said n channels against upward movement, the plates also having their ends bent downwardly to prevent lateral displacement of said channels relative to said car. 11. The combination with a railway car havu ing side sills. of transverse body guiding channels carried thereby, each channel having horimntally projecting top flanges, door sections on the ear between adjacent channel members, so arranged that the channels are inset downwardn ly with respect to the floor surface generally. and

strap plates extending across'the car each overlallilnl a channel flange and the adjacent portion of the floor and bent down at the ends acrossend portions of the channels and secured to the .Iside sills ofthe car. whereby said strap plates prevent upward movement and lateral displacement of ysaid channels relative to said car.

13. In a combination with the usual side sills a railway nat car. transverse channel memresting on said sills, floor means supported the sills'and recessed to receive and limit ovement of' the channel members longitudinally relative to said car, strap plates extending completely across said car and overlapping the u channel members to hold the channel members displacement from said sills and nomas' oi the floor means, the platesbeing further ohal'lctei'lnd in` that their ends are bent 2,128,764 ilooring adjacent the interruption being pro-` downwardly over said sills-and secured thereto, to prevent lateral movement of the channel members relative to said car. n

o 13. In a railwayV flat car, a hoor having side sills, channels forming upwardly facing troughs extending across the car with their ends resting on the side sills, and operableas guides for a demountable body, the n oor having recesses fory the channels, which recesses are wider than the channelsV so that the latter may move in the recesses longitudinally of the car, means for yieldingly resisting such movement, and strap plates overlying opposite side portions of the channels.

' said plates being secured at their ends to the side sills in locating abutment with end portions of the channels for holding the same against substantial movement laterally of the car and upwardly, while allowing them to shift in said re cesses longitudinally of the car.

14. The combination of a car having reinforced1 side sills, each comprising an inner channel, an outer channel and an intermediate wooden beam, transverse open en ded upwardly facing body-re ceiving channels. the ends of which overlie and are supported by the reinforced side sills, and interconnect the reinforced side sills.

15. A railway car having a side sill in the form of an inwardly facing channel beam, a wooden beam on the outside of the side sill, an .inwardly facing channel beam engaging the' outer side of the wooden beam, and an angle bar adapted to support an attaching device for coupling the car to another vehicle in effecting load transferance from one to the other, said angle bar having a vertical flange on `the outer side ofthe outer channel and a top flange overlapping the flanges of both channels.

BENJAMIN 1". FTI'CH. 

